Editing Teleost (section)

=== Respiration ===

[[File:Gills.jpg|thumb|Gills]]

{{Further|Fish respiration|Fish gill}}

The major means of respiration in teleosts, as in most other fish, is the transfer of gases over the surface of the gills as water is drawn in through the mouth and pumped out through the gills. Apart from the [[swim bladder]], which contains a small amount of air, the body does not have oxygen reserves, and respiration needs to be continuous over the fish's life. Some teleosts exploit habitats where the oxygen availability is low, such as stagnant water or wet mud; they have developed accessory tissues and organs to support gas exchange in these habitats.<ref name=Physiology>{{cite book |last=Meurant |first=Gerard |title=Fish Physiology V10A |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yINDnV4mWi8C&pg=PA263 |year=1984 |publisher=[[Academic Press]] |isbn=978-0-08-058531-4 |pages=263–}}</ref>

Several genera of teleosts have independently developed air-breathing capabilities, and some have become [[amphibious fish|amphibious]]. Some [[Combtooth blenny|combtooth blennies]] emerge to feed on land, and freshwater eels are able to absorb oxygen through damp skin. [[Mudskipper]]s can remain out of water for considerable periods, exchanging gases through skin and [[mucous membrane]]s in the mouth and pharynx. [[Swamp eel]]s have similar well-vascularised mouth-linings, and can remain out of water for days and go into a resting state ([[aestivation]]) in mud.<ref>{{cite book |editor1=Paxton, J.R. |editor2=Eschmeyer, W.N. |author=Liem, Karel F. |year=1998 |title=Encyclopedia of Fishes |publisher=Academic Press |pages=173–174 |isbn=978-0-12-547665-2}}</ref> The [[Anabantoidei|anabantoids]] have developed an accessory breathing structure known as the [[Anabantoidei#Labyrinth organ|labyrinth organ]] on the first gill arch and this is used for respiration in air, and [[airbreathing catfish]] have a similar suprabranchial organ. Certain other catfish, such as the [[Loricariidae]], are able to respire through air held in their digestive tracts.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Armbruster |first=Jonathan W. |url=http://www.auburn.edu/academic/science_math/res_area/loricariid/fish_key/Air.pdf |title=Modifications of the digestive tract for holding air in loricariid and scoloplacid catfishes |journal=Copeia |year=1998 |issue=3 |pages=663–675 |doi=10.2307/1447796 |volume=1998 |jstor=1447796}}</ref>